Annual Agony: Extreme Heat, Wire Mesh + Noise Hazards for Exhibition Rabbits at the Sonoma County Fair
Bunnies at the fair?
4H students exhibit rabbits they raised as school projects while ARBA judges officiate competition.
Some rabbits are sold for meat, others as breeding stock.
Photo: Sonoma County Fair Livestock Exhibit Schedule 2025
When the fair becomes a furnace
It is unfair to force suffering in the name of competition.
The mission is to empower the youth by teaching leadership skills and animal husbandry, but on a hot summer day the project becomes the rabbit’s physiological ability to survive while on display.
Are we demonstrating tradition can override basic welfare needs?
Are we teaching the future leaders in agriculture that science stops when profit starts?
Because rabbits cannot sweat, fans are not effective for proper cooling. And preparing frozen water bottles is a clear admission of the foreseeable risks to heat illness.
Heat Stroke in Rabbits
Panting, the Cardinal Sign
Unlike dogs, rabbits do not normally pant to cool down. Rapid, shallow breathing, lethargy, and an extended neck are primary and severe symptoms of heat stroke, a life-threatening emergency, as noted by these experts:
This is what rabbits in heat distress look like. Videos taken at the Sonoma County Fair
enough is enough...
time for a change
DEMAND
FOOT REST MANDATE
Require the use of plastic foot rests in all enclosures that utilize wire mesh flooring. This is a fundamental practice of modern animal husbandry that prevents pododermatitis (sore hocks) and associated complications.
HEAT CANCELLATION POLICY
Mandate the cancellation of rabbit exhibits whenever the forecasted high temperature for Santa Rosa, CA reaches or exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures adherence to California Penal Code § 597, which prohibits allowing an animal to suffer due to a lack of adequate protection from the weather.
NEW
POLICIES
